What Is Personalized Learning?
What is personalized education, and why is it so different from a traditional classroom? Personalized learning is a one-to-one classroom environment in which each student learns at his/her own pace. One thing to know about this type of personalized learning environment is that it is non-linear, meaning that there’s no pressure to follow a textbook chapter by chapter. There is a personal learning plan for students; this means teachers need to be able to multitask.
Students and teachers develop very personal and close relationships, which is great for students who struggle in a traditional classroom. This type of student-driven, personalized learning means each student gets the attention and focus of the teacher.
What does personalized learning in the classroom look like? There are many different types of schools, but generally, the class sizes are smaller than usual. GoGuardian Teacher’s screen viewer and activity timeline features allow teachers to keep track of each students’ progress. Because every child will be at a different stage in their learning or enter the class with different skill sets, these GoGuardian features make sure that teachers are able to keep track of assignments and resources that students are using.
Why Personalized Learning Is Different from a Traditional Classroom
One of the most important aspects of learning is feedback. Our one-to-one technology allows students and teachers to directly engage each other via the teacher/student chat feature. This gives students immediate feedback without disrupting others in the class. Although the old method of “raise your hand if you have a question” still works, one-to-one computing is particularly helpful for tests and assessments. Being able to type a response to a student that needs help is fast, equally effective, and most importantly, quiet.
This teacher/student chat feature also includes tab control and lock screen features that help teachers ensure that each and every student is on track. For schools that have adopted a laptop or tablet classroom, knowing what your students are doing behind their screens is essential. They could be taking notes, or they could be checking Facebook or have a chat screen open in the background. Tab control means that you know what tabs your students have open. The lock screen feature ensures that they stay on the site or page that you want them to.
Create a Personalized Learning Plan for Students
A personalized learning classroom is non-linear. And because each student works at a different pace, teachers have to multitask by tracking the progress of each individual kid. Some students will work faster, while others may take longer to complete specific assignments and require extra help. In a traditional classroom, teachers pick up on this if a student consistently takes more time on classwork or homework than the other students. However, in a 1:1 classroom, it’s harder for teachers to pick up on this because there’s no basis for comparison.
GoGuardian’s activity timeline allows teachers to look back on student activities and identify those who are struggling more. This type of 1:1 technology enables teachers to get students the extra help or tutoring that they need. This is also a good way for teachers to pick up on what prerequisite information the student may be missing. If this is the case, then teachers can fill in those blanks first. One of the biggest problems with any classroom is the lack of background information some students come in with. This leaves them at a disadvantage compared to the other kids, and many fall further and further behind each year.
Create a Focused Personalized Learning Environment for Students
If used appropriately, the internet is a powerful tool. Students can access information outside the classroom walls in a digital learning environment. However, when used inappropriately, no learning gets done. No matter what type of classroom you’re in, traditional or one-to-one learning, you want to make sure that your students are using the appropriate digital resources. In order to help make our students technologically fluent, the Scenes feature of the Teacher product only allows students to go to sites that you, the teacher, have designated.
The Scenes feature is particularly useful in one-on-one education. Teachers can assign different sites to different students so that everyone is able to access websites that fit their skill level. For districts that have one-to-one devices in schools, even in a traditional classroom, students can research online in an efficient way. No social media, no streaming videos, no games or chats.
Learn How GoGuardian Can Skyrocket Your 1:1 Education
To learn more about how GoGuardian can enhance the digital experience of your students and help you manage the accessibility of world wide web in a one-to-one teaching environment, head over to our Teacher product page.